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Pitt Volleyball

Pitt Named Preseason Favorites for ACC Crown Fourth Year in a Row

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Pitt volleyball continues to rack up accolades both nationally and within the ACC, all before the team steps onto the court for the 2021 season. 

The Panthers have been named ACC favorites in the Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll for the fourth-straight season. Pitt had never ranked higher than third since ACC competition began in 2013 before placing first in 2018.

The No. 9 team in the country received 13 of a possible 15 first-place votes, totaling 195 points to lead all programs. No. 13 Louisville totaled two first-place votes, coming in second with 182 points. Virginia concluded the list in the No. 15 spot with a conference-low 25 points.

Ninth-year head coach Dan Fisher will lead the Panthers once again as the program returns all seven starters with Chinaza Ndee and Kayla Lund utilizing their extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transfers Leketor Member-Meneh (Missouri) and Serena Gray (Penn State) add even more firepower to the roster after Pitt’s first-ever Elite Eight appearance. Gray, a two-time All-American middle blocker, recorded 117 kills and 157 points in 56 sets for the Nittany Lions during the 2021 spring season.

Ndee, Lund, and Gray were also named to the 2021 Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team, with only Louisville (four) representing more members on the list. 

The Panthers open the season at the Carolina Classic on August 27 against #23 Rice at 5 p.m. in Columbia, South Carolina. Pitt’s ACC opener is scheduled for less than a month later, traveling to Chapel Hill for a 6 p.m. match against North Carolina on September 24. 

2021 ACC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll Results:

  1. Pitt (13 first-place votes, 195 points)
  2. Louisville (two first-place votes, 182 points)
  3. Georgia Tech (168 points)
  4. Notre Dame (159 points)
  5. Florida State (135 points)
  6. Syracuse (127 points)
  7. North Carolina (113 points)
  8. Miami (106 points)
  9. Duke (96 points)
  10. NC State (92 points)
  11. Clemson (62 points)
  12. Boston College (44 points)
  13. Virginia Tech (38 points)
  14. Wake Forest (33 points)
  15. Virginia (25 points) 

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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